In her hand she held envelopes filled with $583 collected with the help of family, friends and her boyfriend. In her hand sat the cure for her own "heart" problem.

"I did it to raise my spirits a little bit," she said. "I've been so depressed."

Simpson joined many local residents and organizations opening hearts and wallets for the 35th annual on-air fundraiser, which raises money to pay for equipment for Catskill Regional's cardio-pulmonary department.

About $65,500 was pledged during the nine-hour event.

Organizers will donate some of the money to buy a special treadmill system used to stress-test heart patients.

The rest of the money will help pay for a wireless system able to monitor heart patients wherever they are in the hospital.

"If they have to go to X-ray or physical therapy, they can still be monitored," said Fred Kuriger, Catskill Regional's chief executive officer.

The radio stations have raised roughly $1.65 million combined during the Heart-A-Thons.

Since Watermark Communications bought the Sullivan stations in 2005, 100 percent of the proceeds have gone to Catskill Regional, said Helena Manzione, Watermark's general manager.

"We just have a really good relationship with the hospital," she said.

Meagan Simpson said she and her family also raised money for the Heart-A-Thon in 2009 in honor of her sister-in-law, who died with her daughter in a fire.

On Saturday, Meagan Simpson was accompanied by her two sisters, Amber, 25, and Gabriel, 14.